Alan Bennett reads from and discusses The Habit of Art, his play on W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten, at the London Review Bookshop.
One of this blog's purposes is to bring you the news from Bishop's Castle - and good news it is. The Shropshire Star reports the success of the Three Tuns Brewery: The Three Tuns Brewery was lying empty and its home under threat of conversion into housing when John [Russell] and his business partner Bill Bainbridge stepped into save the business in 2003. Now it is set to achieve sales of £1million. The brewery has seen the growing popularity of real ale create additional demand for its unique range of beers taken from a secret recipe book, including XXX, 1642 ...
Our Headline of the Day contest sees a victory for the Edinburgh Evening News.
The Labour Party have released a campaign video, which for once, rather hits the mark. The Labour Party have put up some rather shoddy online campaign efforts recently, but their
[IMG: Money] The currency in an independent Scotland has been the subject of much frenetic debate in recent months. The Scottish Government's White Paper on independence is clear that their preferred option is to continue to use sterling within a monetary union with what would remain of the UK: The Commission's analysis shows that it will not only be in Scotland's interests to retain Sterling but that – post independence – this will also benefit the rest of the UK. Under such an arrangement, monetary policy will be set according to economic conditions across the Sterling Area with ownership and ...
During the First World War, when the Russian Army was facing devastating setbacks, Tsar Nicholas II took personal command. We know that happened to him and his poor country. Let's hope the consequences of our prime minister's bold step in taking command of the floods crisis are less dire, both for him and the UK. Although we've had a lot of rain my bit of Yorkshire hasn't yet been much affected by flooding. I can therefore study the situation from the security of a warm dry house and feel rather detached from the problems. This enables me to muse rather ...
Last week I sort of returned to my political roots. I went to the Whitechapel Centre and talked to them about the continuing problems of homelessness in our City. In 1975 soon after I was first elected to the Council ... Continue reading →
[IMG: ALDC Master Logo (for screen)] There were four principal by-elections last Thursday. The Liberal Democrats received disappointing results in the two by-elections they stood candidates in. There were two by-elections in Clacton-on-Sea. In Peter Bruff ward, Tendring DC the Conservatives held onto the seat with 38.1% of the vote following the death of their councillor. Just 72 votes separated second and fourth place. Labour saw a very small rise in their vote coming second with 25.3% of the vote, UKIP did not stand in 2011 but came third on 21.5% and Liberal Democrat candidate John Candler came fourth with ...
Way back in the day when for a few months I first gave writing a blog a bash, I wrote a post about an elderly British gentleman and his experience of being arrested (using what would not pass for reasonable force in a British court) and his subsequent experience of the American criminal justice system. His experience came to mind last month, in the much reported case of an elderly Chinese man who was again subjected to what would appear to be an unreasonable use of force by the NYPD during his arrest. In both cases the men were arrested ...
Learning to code is not the problem, the principles this new scheme embodies might be. As with any science and technology education project, we must recognise the politics so we might steer them wisely. Georgina Voss
Liberal Democrat MP Michael Moore writes a regular column for newspapers in his Borders Constituency. Here is the latest edition. Scotland's place in the UK As the Referendum date quickly approaches, I was glad to have the chance to speak in a House of Commons debate last week on Scotland's place in the UK. As part of the United Kingdom we have fantastic economic opportunities through the single market, greater security due to having a seat at the top table at NATO, and the ability for Scotland to punch above its weight internationally due to the UK Foreign Office network ...
Dominic Raab led the anti-immigration Tory rebels the other week, and now it seems he has turned his attention to equalities and diversity spending. Dominic Raab caused controversy recently with
Without much publicity, Tory minister Eric Pickles has announced that the fees that bailiffs will charge for collecting debts owed to local councils are to rise massively. It is likely that bailiff fees will start to exceed the average debt that is being collected. Bailiffs are only ever used as a last resort by councils. Before it reaches that stage, someone will have received two reminders and will have been summonsed to court to have a liability order issued. Cornwall Council is always keen to reach a repayment schedule with anyone who owes us money and to avoid the court ...
Advice and background from ALDC and LDHQ on how to approach UKIP in the forthcoming local elections on May 22nd. UKIP have the ability as to destabilise the established dynamics of many local elections campaigns up and down the UK. They are not the first group to do so and probably won't be the last [...]
How quickly we slip into jargon. There is quite a lot of controversy about a provision in the draft Wales Bill in the way that it seeks to give the Welsh Government the power to vary income tax in Wales. What it says is that if we were to vary the lower rate of tax then we must also vary the higher rate in the same way. This linking together of the two rates is called the lockstep, as it prevents us exercising policy on tax. For example we cannot cut the lower rate of tax so as to assist ...
No, not that one. Or that one. But rather this one, full of natural authority and leadership: [IMG: Ed Miliband in a flood. Photo via Buzzfeed - Andrew Matthews/PA Wire/Press Association Images]
Pictured above, on the left, is my friend Robert Hamilton, who was recently killed in a tragic accident. I attended his funeral yesterday and I would like to add my own few words to the many that have already been expressed. We will all miss Robert for our own personal reasons. I will miss him as a friend and political colleague. I will miss him most because of that word "political". Despite both being active members of the Liberal Democrats, I always looked for Robert's company at events because politics was always the last topic for us to discuss. I ...
Figures published today once again reveal that the Welsh Labour government's A&E targets have been severely missed. For the quarter ending in December, 89.4% of patients spent less than four hours in A&E. This is despite the target for 95% of patients to be seen within that time. It has also been revealed that 849 patients spent twelve hours or more in A&E. The Welsh Labour government's handling of Wales' A&E services really has been abysmal. Not once has its four hour wait target been met. It is even worse to think that over 800 patients have had to spend ...
[IMG: mismeasure-of-woman] There are quite a few books in existence that I should have read already, that if I admit I haven't read, I'll feel obliged to add "...yet" to the end of the sentence, and the admission would probably garner surprise, from anyone who knows me, because of COURSE I must have read them. They seem so influential on my thinking! Usually these books are in the bibliography of Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jay Gould and other evolutionary biologists. (What? Dawkins has opinions about religion? I'm not interested.) Well, that list of books just got one shorter when I finally ...
A year ago last week, Robert Francis QC published his report into the failings at Stafford Hospital, and set out his recommendations to ensure that those failings would not be repeated. As a Liberal Democrat, I am committed to delivering better care, and ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and respect when they come into contact with our health and care system. Today I want to report back myself on what we have achieved so far. There are dedicated staff across the NHS and the care sector, who work tirelessly day after day to provide the best possible care ...
Because love is making your 25 year old son a toy of his favourite character from a children's film – which he first saw aged 24! Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Cinema, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Family, Films, Knitting, Minions
To my great shame, I still have one bank account with Barclays. I was going to move it to the Co-op before discovering what everyone else seems to have always known, that the Co-op sends hefty donations to the Labour Party. The trouble is that I want my bank account to support real change... So it seemed like a choice between two old dinosaurs, so I didn't move. But we customers of the Barclays dinosaur have been given the privilege - given that there are 48 million of us worldwide - of stumping up on average £50 a head to ...
After the failure of the main rail line at Dawlish, the government have committed to both repairing that line and looking at how to make rails services in Devon and Cornwall more resilient into the future. One option is to re-open the route from Exeter via Okehampton and Tavistock to Plymouth. North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson is asking the government to consider also extending the rail line into North Cornwall. At the moment, there isn't a single yard of rail line in North Cornwall served by national rail services. Cornwall Council is taking the lead in re-opening the line from ...
Nice move by Nick Harvey, including a campaign letter as a graphic on a tweet. Technically, this is dead simple, but as a way of turning an 'I'm doing something' message into a tweet that stands out better and contains more information, this is very effective. The fact that it's so simple and quick to do makes it all the smarter. Letter sent yesterday to Japanese Ambassador to UK calling for an end to the cruel dolphin hunt #tweet4taji pic.twitter.com/xyFxg1b8xB — Nick Harvey (@NickHarveyND) February 11, 2014
[IMG: LGBT History Month] This month is LGBT History Month, which exists to celebrate the lives of the LGBT Community. As a gay man and, therefore, a proud member of that community, I wanted to mark this very special month in my own way. So I decided that every day in February I would write a daily tweet and Facebook post about someone I look up to in our community...an LGBT Hero. Among those I've already tweeted and posted about are a number of Liberal Democrats: Adrian Trett, the former Chair of LGBT+LDs and a top notch LGBT Rights Campaigner; ...
[IMG: BBC election coverage screenshot] Edition #44 of Liberal Democrat Newswire came out last week, looking at the 2015 general election, and why it's wrong to think of it as a contest between Labour and the Conservatives. It also features a special offer for readers who want to buy David Boyle's latest book – and why wouldn't you want to? You can now read Liberal Democrat Newswire #44 online here. If you would like to receive the next edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire direct to your own inbox as soon as it is published, just sign up here. It's free! ...
A few days ago I blogged in praise of the government's response to the floods. And that is still generally the case. But one thing is hampering efforts at repairs - money. In Cornwall, David Cameron said the government would "pick up the tab - 100%". And now he is reported as saying that "money is no object" in relief efforts. But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has cautioned that there can be "no blank cheque". This difference is crucial. The bill for Cornwall Council is already over £21 million and that is split into two sections - around £4 million ...
Wed 12th
11:00
LibLink: Nick Clegg: Only the Liberal Democrats are prepared to stand up for Britain's place in Euro...
Nick Clegg has been writing over at the Independent to mark 100 days before the European elections. He has a simple and clear message – you can only trust the Liberal Democrats to stand up for Britain's interests, and therefore safeguard jobs, in Europe. He says that the Euros don't usually "set the heart racing", but this time, there's a lot to lose: Ukip has been coming up on the rails in British politics for years and it sees this May as its breakthrough moment. Mainstream politicians have made the mistake in the past of not taking UKIP, or the ...
An OpEd piece from The Scotsman that came through a time warp from February 2020. Looking back on the first three years of an independent Scotland, there is little, from the perspective of 2020, that we can say we did not know before the referendum of 2014. So how is it that we face such difficulties? How did Scotland fall into every trap? More to the point, how do we now address the deep crisis that we now face? On sober reflection it is clear that the 18 month timetable from the September 18th referendum to the establishment of a ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 364th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (2-8 February, 2014), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Portsmouth Liberal Democrats ...
The debate over whether UKIP leader Nigel Farage should take part in the Prime Minister debates in 2015 has returned. Today's Daily Telegraph claims that "European success could win Farage
[IMG: Passport Photo - Steve Coltman] Chris Huhne, former Energy and Climate Change Secretary and member of ALDES, recently wrote this critique of fracking in the Guardian. Personally, I don't like the abrasive and sarcastic tone of it but he makes some very valid points nonetheless. In particular he points out that the USA is disconnected from the world's gas market allowing a local surplus to cause gas prices (and coal prices) to drop in the USA. The UK, in contrast, is very connected indeed and even if we did produce masses of Shale Gas at reasonable cost it will ...
Does a More Equal Marriage Mean Less Sex? - AAAAAAAAAAARGH On the one hand, I'm not married. On the other, relationship experience in several long-term relationships would lead me to suggest that it's not that a more equal marriage leads to less sex, but that dividing things up into "this is your job and this is mine and if you don't do your share I will shout at you" leads to less sex. Doing chores together can TOTALLY lead to sex (and regularly does IME, if only because "I'm sick of doing this now, lets go shag" is a thing ...
Wed 12th
08:52Martin Horwood MP writes: Liberal Democrats must be the voice of small business in Europe
It's common knowledge that small businesses are the dynamic engines behind economic recoveries - light-footed, innovative and quick to seize the opportunities of growth. I met just such a business in my own Cheltenham constituency recently, exporting highly specialised cleaning products to the world. Today in Brussels the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) launches its manifesto for the European elections and it is full of great ideas for making the European Union more competitive, accountable and efficient – all priorities for Liberal Democrat Members of the next European Parliament. Our MEPs and ministers have already achieved some notable victories for ...
American Hustle is a delight. It combines a riot of 70s excess with some great performances. But how true to history is it? Rather than the traditional "based on a true story" it begins with words on screen saying cryptically that "some of this actually happened." This is about right. The film is based on [...]
Wed 12th
07:45Ed Miliband's "People Powered Public Services": some interesting ideas lurk beyond the bland
I read Ed Miliband's Hugo Young lecture on the train home last night to save you the trouble. No need to thank me. Actually there are some good parts to it, which I'll come onto. And if you want to share my pleasure the full text is available here. However, I'd suggest skipping the first 1,685 words which can be summarised as, "Life can be unfair. I, Ed Miliband, have noticed this and so have lots of other people, like Obama and the Pope." Along the way he name-checks Margaret Thatcher (a conviction politician, y'see... except for all the times ...
Since last July, I've been Co-Finance Officer of Liberal Youth. It's something I've enjoyed and found stimulating. It's also something which, as I've got to know the organisation a little better, rather thought provoking. This post is a distillation of ... Continue reading →
Local Policing Panels for the South Cambridgeshire area are changing. From February 2014 there will be three Panel areas, focused around our three Police Stations at Histon, Cambourne and Sawston. These meetings will be held three times a year for each area to allow the public to influence their local Policing priorities. (Follow this link to find out which panel area your village is in: Panel areas 2014 - Bar Hill, Boxworth, Lolworth, and Girton all come under Histon Panel) Histon Panel (combined area for Histon and Swavesey panels)February 12th 2014 Cottenham Village College June 11th 2014 Swavesey Village College ...
I blog sparingly these days, and usually about liberalism and politics, but, there's some thoughts I wanted to get down on what I see as the next big revolution in sport and TV about to come from something close to ... Continue reading →
